Some of these may very well be old hat to you. I have included vehicle-tips, because as the wife of a precious husband who does all the car-jobs, I have not the first inkling of the most basic and elementary checks needed. It can only be a good thing, to up the knowledge from naught to two.
So, here is the harvest of my reading and note-taking while on the bus or waiting for a bus between Hatfield and St Albans. I hope there will be an idea or two you could add to your own repertoire!
- When doing the dishes. add vinegar to rinse water.
- For shine-as-new, soak glass-ware in warm white vinegar.
- Rub half a lemon around plugholes to help remove lime scale deposits.
- Keep a damp cloth handy to wipe up spills.
- Sprinkle spills in the oven with salt and wipe off when your oven is cool.
- Treat stubborn spills with a paste of bicarb and water. Leave for 10-15 minutes. Wipe with soft cloth. Only do this when your oven is cool.
- Clean and deodorize your micro-oven like this: Place 3 or 4 slices of lemon in water. Leave for one minute on high. Wipe inside.
- Pour out water in your kettle after use to prevent lime scale.
- Sprinkle the bin with biacarb.
- Soak the shower head in a bowl of vinegar. Scrub holes with an old toothbrush.
- Use foamy oven cleaner for grout – open the windows! Spray, count to 3, wipe and rinse straight away.
- Prevent mould in the bathroom by once in a while wiping a little baby oil over the bathroom walls and ceiling.
- To shine taps, use a little bit of toothpaste and wipe with damp cloth.
- Use washing up liquid to clean baths.
- Clean plughole by pouring in one cup of washing soda and then a kettle-full of boiling water.
- Clean and tidy as you go.
- To get grease on upholstery off, mix 2 teaspoons vinegar and 250ml luke-warm water. Wipe.
- Clean windows on a dry, dull day.
- Pick up slivers of glass by using a slice of bread.
- Cheap and effective window-clean: Add a good dash of vinegar to water: it cuts through grease and keeps flies away.
- Very dirty windows: 1 teaspoon household ammonia and 1 tablespoon methylated spirits in 2 cups of water. Decant into a labelled spray bottle.
- A few drops of glycerine on a cloth - wipe – this will stop mirror or windows from steaming up.
- Or….run the cut side of a potato across windows or mirrors (also for car)
- Clean your washing machine as follows: Run 4-4 litters of white vinegar though your machine on a warm water setting, followed by a rinse cycle.
- Check your washing machine fittings from time to time.
- Pre-treat collars by rubbing them with soap or make a paste of bicarb and white vinegar and give them a good scrub with an old toothbrush. For oily marks, use shampoo.
- Stains – soak clothes in cold water.
- Use 1 part glycerine to 2 parts water – apply to stain – leave for an hour. Wash.
- For anti-perspirant stains, rub with a toothbrush a paste of biacarb, salt and water.
- Spray cotton wool with your favourite scents. Let it dry and pack amongst your clothes.
- Banish smelly shoes by filling old socks with cat litter and stuffing shoes with those.
- To deal with lime scale in an iron: fill it with white vinegar, turn up the heat to the steam setting. Switch off, cool down and pour out. Refill with water and repeat until all the residue is removed.
- To save electricity, turn appliances off at the sockets. The computer screen uses the most electricity of the whole c computer.
- Find out how to foil-back your radiator.
- Thermostat on hot water: 60 degrees are enough.
- Make your own sandwiches.
- Talcum powder sprinkled into the joints and gaps between floorboards can stop creaks.
- Silence squeaking hinges with a bit of washing-up liquid, a pencil or a bit of washing-up liquid.
- Check under the car for fluid leaks.
- Bodywork damage – get fixed asap.
- Change windscreen wipers once or twice a year and check for splits and tears.
- Check oil once a month.
- Check oil: pull the dipstick out, wipe clean. Make sure the oil level is above the minimum mark. Top up with the correct grade of oil –see your car manual.
- Car oil should be clear and the colour of honey. If not, go to the garage.
- Under-inflated tyres can use up toe 3% more fuel – so check.
- Ensure correct pressure – check your handbook. 1.6mm/0.06 inch of tread is legal. Change your tyres at 3 mm. Worn tyres kill.
- Get a friend to help you check your lights, including those of the number plate.
- Brake-plates – it’s worth paying for the service.
- Don’t ignore dashboard warning lights.
- Check the battery connections: are they tight and free from corrosion.
- Slugs and snails: smear petroleum jelly on the outside of the container or WD40.
- Ants. Locate the nest and sprinkle lots of talcum powered around and on the nest. Spray vinegar around doors and doorsteps.
- Serve cheese at room temperature.
- Omelette and scrambled egg turns into restaurant servings when a splash of sherry is added.
- Ripen avo’s in a plastic bag with a banana skin.
- Buy the dirtiest celery you can get and wash it when you need it.
